Hannah Morgan Smith Meyers (2023)    

Hannah Morgan Smith Meyers’ journey to earning two Materials Engineering degrees from New Mexico Tech began as a child growing up in Albuquerque. “I always liked tinkering and inventing, and I liked understanding how things worked. I was always building intricate pulley systems in the trees in my backyard. My family eventually suggested I look into Materials Engineering as a career path.”

Tech wasn’t on her radar, however, until a college information day at her high school, Cottonwood Classical. “That first made me aware of Tech as a school.” She eventually chose Tech because it was the only university in the state that offered a Materials Engineering program. She was also drawn in by scholarships and the fact that it was “close enough to home, but far enough away to foster some independence.” Nearly five years later, Hannah has fallen in love with the campus and its people. “I enjoy how small Tech is. You can always go into someone’s office and talk to them. You can always talk to your professors. There’s a wonderful sense of community on campus, and we’re all like-minded nerds,” she says with a grin.

When asked what she wants young women considering Tech or a path in STEM to learn from her, she says: “Be determined. It might seem impossible and like you can’t do it, and like the cards are stacked against you. Keep your head down and move through to the other end. If anyone says you can’t - do not listen to them!” 

This excellent advice comes from her early days adjusting to a male-dominated campus and classroom setting. “My first Materials Engineering class during my first semester I was the only woman in the room and I asked a question. I had never felt so talked over before. I had to quickly gain more confidence in myself, and ended up doing better academically than many of my male counterparts.” 

Despite the rocky start, Hannah persisted and is currently finishing up the Accelerated BS/MS Materials Engineering Program. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in the Spring of 2023, and will complete her Master’s Degree later this year. One thing she is most proud of from her time at Tech thus far is her Senior Design Project in which she tested the effects of mixing concrete with clothing fabric. “Concrete is weak in tension so I was looking for more sustainable ways to increase its strength. Mixing concrete with textiles allows me to find use for materials in landfills and eliminate waste from fast fashion.” She aspires to get this work published. 

Outside of her impressive academic tenure, Hannah is a member of the Engineering Honors Society Tau Beta Pi and the Materials Club (a chapter of ASM Albuquerque). She spent a year as Resident Assistant for Residential Life and even founded two clubs no longer in existence at Tech: Fiber Arts Club and Cosplay Club. Hannah also works in Dr. Chelsey Hargather’s Advanced Computational Metallurgy Lab and Additive Composite Manufacturing Lab (ACML). In addition to Dr. Hargather, Hannah works with Dr. Arjak Bhattacharjee on her Master’s Project: Viscosity Characterization of an Energetic Initiator Ink for 3D Printing and Machine Learning Models.

When she is not taking the Materials Engineering world by storm, Hannah enjoys music, singing, crafts, and fiber arts such as knitting, crocheting, weaving, embroidery, felting, cross stitching, and latch hooking. She’s also currently working to start a garden when the weather gets warmer. “My kitchen is full of seedlings right now. I’m hoping to grow rainbow corn, cucumbers for pickling, green beans, Roma tomatoes, and chamomile.” 

After she completes her Master’s degree this Fall, Hannah hopes to attend Colorado School of Mines to earn her PhD in Materials Engineering with an emphasis in Manufacturing. We will miss Hannah when she graduates but we’re excited to see the contributions she continues to make. We know her future will be bright.